Theft of Guide Dog Underlines China’s Spotty Disability Record

Wu Wenhao, left, with her guide dog, Zi Long, in the Beijing subway. China enacted a law in 2012 allowing such dogs in public places, and last year, Beijing began allowing visually impaired passengers to take dogs into the subway.Credit
Imaginechina, via Associated Press

HONG KONG — The theft of dogs, often to be resold as meat, is a sad reality for people with pets in China. But the theft of one 7-year-old black Labrador in Beijing on Monday has provoked an unusual outcry.

The dog, Qiaoqiao, is no average pet. She was trained as a guide dog and has spent the past six years as a companion to Tian Fengbo, a 47-year-old blind man who lives in a village on the outskirts of the Chinese capital.

Mr. Tian has worked as a masseur, a common occupation for blind people in China, and now operates a massage parlor chain. He had left Qiaoqiao at one of his outlets overnight. An assistant was walking the dog Monday morning when men in a gray van stole her. Neighbors told The Beijing Morning News that the village had had a rash of dog thefts in recent days.

Mr. Tian said he had barely eaten or slept since his companion was taken.

“I lost my sight in an accident and have been through many difficulties. But now that Qiaoqiao is gone, I feel like there is something very heavy blocking my chest,” Mr. Tian said. “Qiaoqiao always accompanied me. She was like a friend to me. Now I feel like I’ve lost a close friend.”

He said he remained optimistic that the police would find the dog, since security cameras in his village had recorded the van that carried Qiaoqiao away. The license plate was from neighboring Hebei Province, although he said the number was unclear.

Qiaoqiao is one of about 10 registered guide dogs in Beijing, a city of more than 20 million, and one of about 100 in the entire country, according to officials at China’s main guide-dog training center in the coastal city of Dalian.

The lack of service animals is part of China’s mixed record of improving the lives of its disabled citizens. The country has made progress in some ways. For many years, the leader of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation was the son of Deng Xiaoping, Deng Pufang, who was paralyzed after being thrown from a building during the Cultural Revolution. He brought a new focus to long-overlooked needs.

But advocates say many barriers persist. Disabled people face discrimination in education and employment, and Chinese cities are far from fully accessible. Some aids are obvious, like the textured paving strips for visually impaired people that line most sidewalks in major cities. But many buildings still lack wheelchair ramps, and guide dogs are often unwelcome in public places.

An error has occurred. Please try again later.

You are already subscribed to this email.

Disability advocates saw the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing as a breakthrough. As with the Summer Olympics that preceded it, China went to great lengths to prepare for the event. Street-level pedestrian crossings were built to offer alternatives to underpasses with lengthy stairways. The Forbidden City underwent expensive renovations to allow wheelchair access. And service animals were given a rare moment of attention after Ping Yali, a blind long-jumper and China’s first Paralympic gold medalist, carried the torch into the opening ceremony alongside her guide dog, Lucky.

Lucky was Beijing’s first guide dog, and Ms. Ping was a vocal advocate. She spoke of the barriers she experienced in Beijing, where large dogs are banned in the city center. The police made an exception for Lucky in 2007 but allowed Ms. Ping to go out with the dog only if she were accompanied by a sighted person.

China enacted a law to permit guide dogs in public places in 2012, but its enforcement has been spotty. In 2013, Liu Hongquan, a blind singer who was scheduled to perform at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, was barred from entering the campus with his guide dog.

Guide dogs granted access to the Beijing subwayVideo by CCTV News

Liang Jia, who works at the Dalian China Guide Dog Training Center, said that acceptance of the dogs had grown in recent years. In addition to the 100 dogs now working around the country, the center is training 80 more, with 20 puppies expected to soon join them.

For now the center’s focus is on one alumna, Ms. Liang said. Qiaoqiao’s former trainers fear that she might be killed. At the very least, she will suffer from being separated from Mr. Tian.

“She will definitely be anxious,” Ms. Liang said. “Guide dogs are different from ordinary dogs. They are with their owners almost 24-7, so they have a deeper attachment.”